View Full Version : Charlotte Lakes Resupply
I have booked my flight ATL/SFO for 08/01/09.
I hope to pickup my wilderness permit to start by 08/04.
My big issue is resupply at Charlotte Lakes RS bearboxes.
Dee Berner of Sequoia Kings Pack Trains gave me a price of $410.00
to take my package from Onion Valley to Charlotte Lakes. Dee's paperwork
tells me that they charge $125.00 to pickup the package at Independence
PO and store it at their shed at Onion Valley.
I am looking for folk(s) to share the $410.00 trip cost.
My package will weigh 10lbs or less and I want it at Charlotte Lakes RS
on Fri 8/21/09.
Have you considered hiking to Onion Valley via the Kearsarge Pass trail and resupplying in Independence? It's a great section of trail and with a hotel/shuttle you'd save about $300.
Another sobering thing to think about is that a fairly large number of JMT hikers get off the trail for one reason or another. It would be particularly painful to have spent big bucks on sending buckets to Muir Trail Ranch and, worse, Charlotte Lakes, and then not actually hike there to get the food.
I say this as someone who benefitted tremendously by NOT having sent a bucket to Charlotte Lakes, but having friends who did...and who then quit hiking. They graciously allowed me to pillage their oh-so-expensive food. It was wonderful, especially since it was free to me.
If I felt the need to resupply in that area, I'd do what Sly suggests.
TwoForty
05-06-2009, 18:36
While that's not a total ripoff, it's a helluva lotta money to spend on a resupply. You'll have to carry more weight, but why not resupply out of Parcher Resort. You save money and get the added bonus of spending mroe time on the trail, hiking through the beautiful Dusy Basin. Between Tuolumne Meadows, Reds Meadow, VVR, MTR, Parchers, Independence, and Roads End, there are plenty of places to resupply.
Helmuth.Fishmonger
05-07-2009, 12:32
read this thread
http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/61364/page/1#Post61364
note the comment about food not being allowed to be cached in bear boxes in the park. The Ranger Station at Charlotte Lake will hold a resupply for a few days, though.
I am carrying all my food from Muir Trail Ranch to the Portal and back from there to Muir Trail Ranch this year, because this whole resupply thing is more hassle than it's worth it. Expensive, requires you to be there at a pretty certain date, and there may not even be a service this year if they sell the pack station as indicated in the thread above.
Once you get to Kearsarge and add in the time up and down the pass and into town and back, you are only 2 days from the end of the trail anyway, so why bother with a resupply there? You really want a supply at Bench Lake, coming in over Taboose Pass, but I bet you won't find a packer willing to do that pass (I hate it on foot - never would bring an animal over it), even though they are required to. Called several packers last year and they simply never returned my calls, probably because I mentioned "Taboose Pass"
Thanks for your replies.
I really havn't completely made up my mind what to do.
I think that faced with a $410 charge I will hike out to Onion Valley for a pickup, but sharing the cost I will be using a Packer.
This being my first year in retirement, it's my first opportunity to do the JMT and it may be my last. I'm nervous about adding any days to the hike which will be my longest.
Helmuth.Fishmonger
05-12-2009, 14:53
If you're willing to hike to Onion Valley road end, why not set something up with Bob Ennis, who runs a shuttle servers out of Lone Pine? He could either meet you at the trailhead and deliver your food there, or drive you into town for a night and back up the next morning.
Much cheaper than the packers. Not sure about Cell phone reception in Onion Valley, but I was able to call from high on Taboose Pass last year. Bob probably can tell you how to do this best. I can highly recommend his services and he will discuss your transportation options without trying to sell you anything.
http://www.mtwhitneyshuttle.com/
Telephone: 760-876-1915 Best time to call: evenings (Pacific)
e-Mail:
[email protected]
TwoForty
05-12-2009, 21:30
If you're willing to hike to Onion Valley road end, why not set something up with Bob Ennis, who runs a shuttle servers out of Lone Pine? He could either meet you at the trailhead and deliver your food there, or drive you into town for a night and back up the next morning.
Much cheaper than the packers. Not sure about Cell phone reception in Onion Valley, but I was able to call from high on Taboose Pass last year. Bob probably can tell you how to do this best. I can highly recommend his services and he will discuss your transportation options without trying to sell you anything.
http://www.mtwhitneyshuttle.com/
Telephone: 760-876-1915 Best time to call: evenings (Pacific)
e-Mail:
[email protected]
But then you have to get to Onion Valley. It would be cheaper and quicker to mail it to Parchers.
Helmuth.Fishmonger
05-13-2009, 09:28
But then you have to get to Onion Valley. It would be cheaper and quicker to mail it to Parchers.
What is Parchers???
Helmuth.Fishmonger
05-13-2009, 14:30
did a little research, ebcause I was curious what this Parcher's option was. And no wonder I had no idea where Parcher's resort was: it is well off the Muir Trail, especially when you factor in the climbing you need to do to get there. Onion Valley is an afternoon detour compared to the Dusy Basin/Bishop Pass route you gotta do to get to this place, nor is it in the location where you want it to be to approximately cut your load in half between Portal and Muir Ranch.
I would estimate the hike from Le Conte Canyon to Bishop Pass and down to South Lake to be a full day, and back to the Muir Trail another 1/2 to 3/4 day, taking food out of each supply right there. And since you get to the Dusy Basin trail intersection in 2 days from the ranch (my 11 year old kids did it in less than 2 days), you don't need to resupply at that point anyway.
Meanwhile, Kearsarge Pass is an easy traverse from the Muir for less than 1.5 miles, barely 800 feet up, then you drop to the road end in about 60 mins max, get your food, and turn back up back up in 2-3 hours. You then cut off half a mile by talking Bullfrog Lake trail back to the Muir, all the same afternoon. Done that twice and it is really the only fast self-resupply on the eastern slope, but only if you have somebody meet you with the supplies (that's why I mentioned Bob Ennis, who can drive your stuff up there). I did this when there was still somebody living a the pack station in the late 80s and you could knock at their door to pick up your package.
Not necessarily as pretty as the trail over Bishop Pass, but unless you're taking the Sierra High Route on your return from Parcher's to cut off a day on the Muir, crossing Knappsack and Potluck Pass cross country (not a novice route at all), the Bishop Pass adventure adds easily 1.5 days to the route. When you are back on the Muir trail, you will have maybe one extra day of food in your pack compared to just hiking past that option.
Now, that Sierra High Route option to head south from Bishop Pass is a great solution, as it saves you almost a day, putting a second day of food in your canister you would lose by dropping back into Le Conte Canyon. It's a hard core option, though, esecially solo with a full pack. Check out the lower half of this report for the route (read in reverse) you would take to Palisade Lakes faster, making the resupply at South Lake almost make sense http://cwillett.imathas.com/shr/leg1.html
If you don't mind cross country high country hiking, are good at route finding, and don't mind a little climbing here and there, then that's a decent way to see some much more interesting country than the section below where the Muir Trail hits burnt forest and a hot Golden Staircase section (the only thing golden about that trail section is its name).
Only thing about the resupply is that it's 2 days north of where you want it. Taboose Pass is the ideal place to resupply, but nearly impossible to do logistically (a friend called a pack outfit multiple times last year to get a quote, never got a return call). The next pass is Sawmill pass, hardly known and for good reason. Probably even harder than Taboose. I've never done that one. You get there a few miles south of Pinchot Pass. The next pass is Baxter and that one actually isn't supposed to be so bad. A packer could meet you about a mile below Rae Lakes. The next option is Kearsarge/Onion Valley, and that is very much doable without packers. The last pass before Whitney south of there is Shepherd Pass, which falls into the brutal category as well, plus is already so close to Whitney, resupply is almost pointless at that stage.
I've looked at the resupply options on the southern half of the Muir every summer since my first hike there in 1988 and other than doing the Kearsarge Pass hike out to resupply at the road end and immeditately return to the pass, nothing else makes much sense. Even if you're willing to pay packers, the coordination is very difficult (it is not allowed to leave your food in the wilderness or bear lockers for more than 24 hours) and you're probably only going to get them to go over Kearsarge Pass anyway, which is the one you can do without them easily. Every other pass mid trail between Whitney and Muir Ranch mountains is brutal and drops you into the desert if you were to hike out for a resupply. These passes are only useful for emergency aborts.
Each year I arrive at this solution: carry all your food from Muir Ranch to the end. Heavy at first, but the hike from the Ranch to Muir Pass is about as gradual a climb as you'll find in the Sierras, then you drop down again for a day. Once you're over Mather, which will hurt a little at the Golden Staircase, you're over the worst of it regarding food load. Pinchot Pass you barely notice, and by the time you head up to Glen Pass you are down to a 4 day load, as if you just resupplied. You also save the worries of missing a rendevous with a packer, or to not find your illegally stashed food where you left it. Spend the money on a light Bearikade Expedition rather than a packer, and you'll be just fine.
If you're worried about food canister size - well, following Muir Trail Ranch all the way to Pinchot Pass, it is LEGAL to hang food (not in Dusy Basin on your way to Parcher's though). So you can pack extra food that doesn't fit into your canister. By the time you get to Pinchot Pass, you should be down to what fits into the approved canister as you enter restricted area.
If worried about hanging not being very safe, you can use an Ursack for that. Slight extra insurance.
Compare to that the Parcher's resupply hike:
Leave the Muir Trail at Le Conte Ranger Station, 8720 ft, head up to Bishop Pass over 4 steep miles to 11,960 ft. Then it is another 2 steep miles down to South Lake at 9,800 ft elevation. Resupply. Back up the pass, 2 miles, 2100 feet, down to Le Conte, 4 miles, -4000 feet... and nowhere can you camp with food that doesn't fit into an appoved canister. The trail is a quota trail, too, so you better have that on your wilderness permit.
Doing this resupply you gain about 1 day of food in your canister over what you had when you left Le Conte...
anyway, I was curious what this Parcher's thing was. Didn't know about it because a hike out over Bishop pass had never crossed my mind as a meaningful resupply hike. I'm back to my usual plan - heavy pack from Muir Trail Ranch.
Helmuth
Thanks for bringing your obvious experience to work on my problem.
To be honest, I was already tired of Packers not responding to my attempts to make contact.
I guessed that they wanted to resupply groups, and I was just nuissance value.
So I'm going to buy or rent a Bearikade Expedition, and plan to do the 125 mile leg from MTR to the Portal without resupply.
I hope that I will be strong enough to average 12-14 miles/day.
I hope that I will be strong enough to average 12-14 miles/day.
If you wake at first light, and use all of the daylight to hike each day, you only have to average ~1 MPH in order to hike 14 miles/day.
Good luck!
doodah man
05-15-2009, 23:07
Helmuth
Thanks for bringing your obvious experience to work on my problem.
To be honest, I was already tired of Packers not responding to my attempts to make contact.
I guessed that they wanted to resupply groups, and I was just nuissance value.
So I'm going to buy or rent a Bearikade Expedition, and plan to do the 125 mile leg from MTR to the Portal without resupply.
I hope that I will be strong enough to average 12-14 miles/day.
zonedam,
I did the JMT NOBO last year. We went NOBO to have the sun at our back for the hike (we saw lots of badly burnt noses on SOBO hikers we passed). To avoid the whole Whitney Portal Lottery hassle we started at the Horseshoe Meadow trailhead south of Whitney. I am 53, so my days of big miles are behind me, and we left Horseshoe Meadow with 10 days of food planning on a Muir Trail Ranch re-supply. You might want to consider the following option...
From Horseshoe Meadow, it is an easy first day to Lower Soldier Lake, between 9 and 11 miles, depending on route, and there is a bear locker just a bit south of the lake. From there, it is another easy 10 or so miles to Crabtree Meadow that has a few bear lockers. On day three, leave your shelter set up and stash your food in one of the lockers. Traveling light it is not too bad of a day hike up to Whitney summit and back (about 15 miles round trip). Continuing north from Crabtree Meadow, there are lots of campsites with bear lockers: Wallace Creek, Tyndall Creek, a couple places in Vidette Meadow, Bubbs Creek, Charlotte Lake, Rae Lakes, and then Woods Creek. So, depending on your daily mileage, you will have bear lockers available for the first 5 or 6 nights. That way, all your food does not need to fit in your bear canister for a while. After a MTR re-supply, it is roughly 3 days to Red’s Meadow (An easy re-supply right on trail with a mail drop or buy in the store. Also, I recommend the awesome double cheese burger at the restaurant there). From Red’s Meadow, it is roughly another 4 days to Toulumne that has a small general store with a decent grocery assortment suitable for backpacking as a re-supply option. Right next to the store is a restaurant for another opportunity to pig out. So, you can see that going NOBO using the bear lockers, you could easily plan so that you never really need to fit more than 5 days supplies in the canister. As a triple bonus, the first two days are pretty easy giving you time to get acclimated, summit Whitney on a day hike with a light load, and by the time you leave Crabtree Meadow, your food load has dropped by about a third when the “serious” hiking gets started.
I weighed my starting food supply right at 15 pounds. We ended up reaching MTR on the morning of day 10 still with a bit of food left, so we had plenty. If you like, I can send you a copy of a compact 10 day menu that works for me…
P.S. For those first 10 days, I had approximately 3,000 calories per day. I am a bit pudgy and counted on belly fat for some of the calories getting burned during the hike. When I got home, the bathroom scale confirmed that the plan worked! doodah-man
dodah-man
Thanks for your input.
I've always thought of the Grand Vistas of Sequoia and Kings Canyon as
a finale to the JMT. A treat in store, to keep me going. So I think that I'll stay with the burnt nose.
Logistically, I think you have a good point.
Please email me your compact 10 day menu, and I've taken note of the cheeseburger at Red's Meadow
Helmuth.Fishmonger
05-18-2009, 11:27
dodah-man
Thanks for your input.
I've always thought of the Grand Vistas of Sequoia and Kings Canyon as
a finale to the JMT. A treat in store, to keep me going. So I think that I'll stay with the burnt nose.
Logistically, I think you have a good point.
Please email me your compact 10 day menu, and I've taken note of the cheeseburger at Red's Meadow
good call - burnt nose is bogus. Never had that problem and I've done it SOBO 8 times. You want the lower passes first, you want the less interesting stuff first. Heading north, the Muir becomes less and less spectacular, and those who say "but the finale in Yosemite Valley" is the highlight don't realize that in peak season they'l be walking down a paved trail among hundreds of day hikers. Only twice have I even bothered to start in the valley. This finale doesn't even remotely compare to finishing on the summit of Mount Whitney.
Putting Mt Whitney at the beginning of the hike also may mean you're going ot be feeling rather sick on the summit, due to exhaustion from the brutal climb with very heavy pack and the lack of time at altitude. Meanwhile, coming from the north, you don't even noticed the altitude and ultimately will enjoy it much more (I usually spend the night on the summit).
Reds Meadow cheeseburger - let's just say "it is getting mixed reviews."
I have never tried one because of what I have been told about their cooking. They do sell cold beer there, though... Meadow Grill in Tuolumne Meadows, though, is highly recommended.
Helmuth.Fishmonger
05-18-2009, 11:39
From Horseshoe Meadow, it is an easy first day to Lower Soldier Lake, between 9 and 11 miles, depending on route, and there is a bear locker just a bit south of the lake. From there, it is another easy 10 or so miles to Crabtree Meadow
My only experience doing that route was in 1990, and we were southbound. We followed the PCT all the way to Cottonwood Pass, and it was a major disappointment. The trail was extremely sandy and torn up by horses.
http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/outdoor/gallery/JMT1990/Day%2010/slides/617_hiking_on_the_beach.jpg
We pretty much hated the conditions on that section. However, New Army Pass is supposed to me in much better shape (less horse traffic), even though the higher altitude looks like it may not be as good an option as the lower Cottonwood Pass. I know I'd rather do 1000 more feet altitude than to hike on the beach again.
doodah man
05-18-2009, 12:40
My only experience doing that route was in 1990, and we were southbound. We followed the PCT all the way to Cottonwood Pass, and it was a major disappointment. The trail was extremely sandy and torn up by horses.
We pretty much hated the conditions on that section. However, New Army Pass is supposed to be in much better shape (less horse traffic), even though the higher altitude looks like it may not be as good an option as the lower Cottonwood Pass. I know I'd rather do 1000 more feet altitude than to hike on the beach again.
HF,
Yes, there are three primary routes to Lower Soldier Lake... Cottenwood Pass, New Army Pass, and Army Pass. I have always gone over Army Pass because you can lunch at Cottenwood Lakes that are very nice. Army Pass is 12,140 feet, the trail is nice the whole way and is the shortest route to Lower Soldier Lake. New Army Pass should also be nice going past the South Fork Lakes and Long Lake and High Lake. It is 12,320 feet and around a half mile extra to Lower Soldier Lake. I have never taken that route. Choosing Cottenwood Pass (11,180 feet) you would take PCT branch just west of the pass that goes past Chicken Spring Lake. You would leave the PCT on a side trail to Lower Soldier Lake after ~5 miles. The Cottenwood Pass route is another half mile more than the New Army Pass route. I have never taken that route, either. From Lower Soldier Lake, you follow Rock Creek down and rejoin the PCT near the Rock Creek Patrol Cabin. I think that either the Army Pass or New Army Pass routes avoid the section of trail you mention. doodah-man
doodah man
05-18-2009, 13:57
good call - burnt nose is bogus. Never had that problem and I've done it SOBO 8 times. You want the lower passes first, you want the less interesting stuff first. Heading north, the Muir becomes less and less spectacular, and those who say "but the finale in Yosemite Valley" is the highlight don't realize that in peak season they'l be walking down a paved trail among hundreds of day hikers. Only twice have I even bothered to start in the valley. This finale doesn't even remotely compare to finishing on the summit of Mount Whitney.
Putting Mt Whitney at the beginning of the hike also may mean you're going ot be feeling rather sick on the summit, due to exhaustion from the brutal climb with very heavy pack and the lack of time at altitude. Meanwhile, coming from the north, you don't even noticed the altitude and ultimately will enjoy it much more (I usually spend the night on the summit).
Reds Meadow cheeseburger - let's just say "it is getting mixed reviews."
I have never tried one because of what I have been told about their cooking. They do sell cold beer there, though... Meadow Grill in Tuolumne Meadows, though, is highly recommended.
HF,
You can say that “burnt nose is bogus”, but I'm not lying... we saw plenty of SOBO folks with sun burned faces. Excluding some very nice side trail options in Yosemite (such as cloud's rest) the best part of a JMT hike is in the middle so it does not matter which end you start. From Forester Pass south, it is not as interesting. The summit of Mt Whitney is nothing super special (other than the highest point in the lower 48 at 14,505). Same type of panoramic view from nearby Mt Langely or Mt Tyndall, both at 14,000+ just south or north of Whitney.
Also, you must not have read my post carefully, because my suggestion included two easy hiking days above 10,000 feet to acclimatize before summiting Whitney from the easier west approach that is not a “brutal climb”. And, the climb would be with a light load getting to leave most of your food & gear at Crabtree Meadow. If he is doing the whole JMT, the climb out of Yosemite Valley is no cakewalk, either. Each hike direction has pluses and minuses. I was just giving a suggestion to someone worried about re-supply options. You have a different opinion, but maybe try the JMT NOBO yourself once to see the trail in a different way before you dismiss it as a bad choice.
Finally, as to my food recommendation, on my hike last year, I had two double cheeseburgers at Reds Meadow and they were great. I also had a cheeseburger at the Meadow Grill that was not nearly as good. I have never heard anyone say a bad word about the food at Reds and the staff there were much nicer compared to the attitude we got from the staff at various Tuolumne facilities. doodah-man
Helmuth.Fishmonger
05-18-2009, 15:05
HF,
You can say that “burnt nose is bogus”, but I'm not lying... we saw plenty of SOBO folks with sun burned faces.
Pale faces of some southbound hikers at Palisade Lake, 10 days into the adventure
http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/outdoor/muir2008/photos_HDcam/gallery/tape4/images/091_lunch_palisade_lake.jpg
I'm sure that's a matter of hat/sun tan lotion, weather, skin type, etc
You have a different opinion, but maybe try the JMT NOBO yourself once to see the trail in a different way before you dismiss it as a bad choice.
I am actually doing it NOBO this summer, as a return hike on a yo-yo. I am still starting in the north, turning around at Whitney Portal and going right back up (after 220 miles of warmup, so it won't be a big deal, even with 8 days of food in the pack).
There are many ways to modify the route to one's liking. I've done the Muir proper only once, but I've been to each segment at least twice over 8 summers. If you can spend time to acclimate to the altitude in the south, going north is fine. I'd say 25% of the JMT hikers go northbound. There was more traffic northbound more in the past when all they had was a guide book that described the route south-north as the proper direction.
We'll be doing Whitney from the "brutal climb" direction I was refering to, since that way we can get a mooseburger at the Portal Store (those are the best), grab our supplies, take a shower, and head north the next morning. I'm actually looking forward to seeing things in a different direction.
As for climbing Whitney from the west - certainly an option. We walked up from Crabree Meadows to the summit one evening under the full moon. Not a bad way to do it. I know of a few really cool alternates to starting in Yosemite Valley, too.
The climb out of Yosemite Valley definitely is no cakewalk. However, it is the summer crowds there you want to avoid. If you can't get started in the early morning, that trail can become a real motivational challenge - you may be question why you are doing this...
http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/outdoor/gallery/JMT1989/day%2001/slides/JMT_1989_0523.jpg
and even better, higher on Mist Trail than tbe above photo:
http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/outdoor/gallery/JMT1989/day%2001/slides/JMT_1989_0527.jpg
Finally, as to my food recommendation, on my hike last year, I had two double cheeseburgers at Reds Meadow and they were great. I also had a cheeseburger at the Meadow Grill that was not nearly as good. I have never heard anyone say a bad word about the food at Reds and the staff there were much nicer compared to the attitude we got from the staff at various Tuolumne facilities. doodah-man
Very possible, probably depends what student they hire for the summer job in the kitchen. I love Reds Meadow, have camped there many times without even doing the JMT, so I guess one day I have to try the food myself. However, just last July, several PCT hikers warned us not to eat the breakfast. Perhaps the burgers are safe.